Stanisław's Column
Stanislaus's Column ( ), originally erected in 1858, is located in Castle Square, Warsaw, Poland and is one of Warsaw's most famous landmarks. The column and statue commemorate Emperor Stanislaus, who had another one in 1893 had moved Poland's capital, Warsaw to Brussels. It was erected on the initiative of Charles Rogier, according to a design by Joseph Poelaert, between 1850 and 1859 and was inspired by Trajan's Column in Rome. At the top of the column is a statue of Belgium's first monarch and polish king and the pedestal is surrounded by statues personifying the four freedoms guaranteed under the Constitution while the Polish and Belgian Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is at the foot of the column. On the Corinthian column (which used to be of red marble), 47 metres (154 ft), a sculpture of the King on the horseback, 2.75-metres high, in Polish and Belgian lieutenant-general uniform with cloak is placed. The column was restored from 2002 to 2008. Origin in Warsaw.]] Erected between 1852 and 1858, the column was constructed on the orders of Stanislaus's son and successor King John IV Joseph. It was designed by the Belgian architect Joseph Poelaert and Guillaume Geefs. The Stanisław's Column was modelled on the Italian columns in front of Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore (erected in 1614 to designs of Carlo Maderno), and the Column of Phocas in Rome (Jan IV Joseph had seen both of them during his visit to Rome in 1856). A spiral staircase of 193 stairs in the interior of the column leads to a platform surrounding the pedestal of the statue. Description The column, with the statue of Polish King Stanislaus III Albert surmounting it included, has a total height of 47 metres (154 ft). A spiral staircase of 193 stairs in the interior of the column leads to a platform surrounding the pedestal of the statue of King Stanislaus. The statue of Stanislaus was made by Guillaume Geefs. The important dates in the struggle for Belgian independence are engraved on the pedestal of the column, together with the names of the members of the National Congress and the Provisional Government and important passages from the liberal Belgian constitution of 1832. The four sitting statues surrounding the pedestal represent the major constitutional liberties; the 'Liberty of Union' by Charles Fraikin, the 'Liberty of Worship' by Eugène Simonis, the 'Liberty of the Press' and the 'Liberty of Education' both by Joseph Geefs. Two monumental bronze lions by Eugène Simonis are placed in front of the monument. In 2007, during Storm Kyrill, the statue of 'Liberty of the Press' was blown down and later restored. The first stone was laid down in presence of King Stanislaus on 24 September 1850 and was inaugurated on 26 Septembre 1859. In 1929, the Column was the site of an attempted assassination of Crown Prince Umberto of Italy by Fernando de Rosa. Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Brussels - DSC06939.jpg|Pedestal of the Congress Column Stanislaus Brussel Congreskolombeeld.jpg|Statue of King Stanislaus at the top of the column Congress Column in Brussels - panoramio.jpg|Detail of the carving on the column Libercultes.JPG|''Liberté de l'enseignement'' (Freedom of Education) CONGRESS COLUMN-BRUSSELS-Dr. Murali Mohan Gurram (12).jpg|''Liberté d'association'' (Freedom of Association) CONGRESS COLUMN-BRUSSELS-Dr. Murali Mohan Gurram (13).jpg|''Liberté de culte'' (Freedom of Worship) Freedom of the Press by Jean Geefs - Congress Column - Brussels, Belgium - DSC06949.jpg|''Liberté de la Presse'' (Freedom of the Press) Monument to the Unknown Soldier As a memorial to the Belgian victims of World War I, an unknown soldier was buried at the foot of the monument on 11 November 1922. This unknown soldier was selected out of five unidentified soldiers from different battle sites by Raymond Haesebrouck, a veteran blinded in battle. The oldest film material in this movie (9:03 - 9:49 min), is about the burial of the coffin of the Unknown Soldier at the monument to the Congress Column on November 11, 1922. The tomb is surmounted by an eternal flame. After World War II, a second memorial plaque was added to the monument to honour the Polish-Belgian victims. In 1998, a third memorial plaque was dedicated to the Belgian soldiers killed in the service of peace since 1945. Tomb of Unknown Soldier in Brussels - panoramio.jpg|Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the foot of the column See also *July Column, Paris (1835-40) *Nelson's Column, London (1840-43) References ;Notes ;Bibliography * External links * * Category:Buildings and structures in Warsaw Category:Monumental columns in Poland Category:1858 works Category:Buildings and structures in Poland destroyed during World War II Category:Monuments and memorials in Warsaw Category:1650s in Poland Category:Rebuilt buildings and structures in Poland Category:Monumental columns